1. Field of the Invention. The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly relates to high-density electrical connectors used in test and burn-in done on miniaturized electrical components.
This invention is a technology platform that enables the interconnection between high-density electronic devices. It first covers the springs and spring arrangements that represent the modular building block of devices to achieve high density interconnection and finally covers several applications utilizing the said springs and arrangements, such as sockets, connectors, probes, test heads and the like.
The invention also relates to combs, which are used in conjunction with said springs, and which promote and control wipe or scrub, and which are thermally matched to the electronic devices, to enhance life and performance especially during thermal cycling procedures.
2. Background Information. It is standard procedure to test chips or integrated circuits at different production stages to cull out the defective ones. Such tests are often done on printed circuit boards circuits, substrates and similar electronic devices as well. This is done to avoid putting extra time, money and effort into a defective component only to end up having to scrap the component at the end of the production process. Such testing is done using probes and probe cards, along with sockets. Many times when packages are tested, they undergo what is known as test and burn-in. Packages are inserted into the test sockets, or a probe is used to test the package or devices, and heat and electricity are applied to accelerate the aging or testing process. What is needed is a system that will allow these sockets and probes to be easily interchanged and to also reduce the size of the pitch or the distance between the contact elements within the sockets and probes to allow contact with the contact pads of miniaturized electronic devices.